Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Philosophy, Politics and Economics or Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (often abbreviated to PPE) is a popular interdisciplinary degree which combines study from the three disciplines offered by, amongst a handful of British universities, the University of Oxford. [ [http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/courses/philosophy_politics.html Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) - University of Oxford ] ]

History

PPE was established in Oxford in 1920 as a modern alternative to Classics (known as Greats) because it was thought that a course in Philosophy and Ancient History was no longer relevant for those entering the civil service. It was thus initially known as Modern Greats.Fact|date=June 2008 It was also the first opportunity for students to study philosophy at Oxford without having to learn Ancient Greek or Latin and hence sparked a huge growth in the number of students studying philosophy at Oxford.Fact|date=June 2008

Course material

The design of the programme emanates from the view that to understand social phenomena one must approach them from several complementary disciplinary directions and analytical frameworks. In this regard, the study of philosophy is considered important because it both equips students with meta-tools such as the ability to reason rigorously and logically, and facilitates ethical reflection. The study of politics is considered necessary because it acquaints students with the authoritative structures that govern society and help solve collective action problems. Moreover, the study of political science is thought to put students in a position to evaluate the choices political systems and regimes regularly make. Finally, studying economics is seen as vital in the modern world because political decisions often concern economic matters, and government decisions are often influenced by economic events. Additionally, the analytical framework of economics (the rational actor model) is an important approach to studying social phenomena and, as such, students ought to be familiar with it.Fact|date=June 2008

Notable people with PPE degrees from Oxford

PPE has traditionally been a programme pursued by those seeking a career in politics or public life, including senior positions in the civil service – with quite a few subsequently achieving it. A number of PPE graduates have also pursued careers in journalism. Oxford's notable PPE graduates include:
*David Alderdice, Dermatologist, Northern Irish politician and former Lord Mayor of Belfast
*Danny Alexander, British Liberal Democrat MP
*Monica Ali, writer
*Tariq Ali, political campaigner and commentator and writer
*Riz Ahmed, British-Pakistani rapper, actor and anti-war activist
*Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese politician
*Jackie Ashley, British broadcast and newspaper journalist
*Zeinab Badawi, British broadcast journalist
*Ed Balls, British politician and Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
*Alan Beith, British Liberal Democrat MP
*Tony Benn, former Labour MP
*Jana Bennett, Director of BBC Vision and non-executive director, BBC Worldwide
*Roy Bhaskar philosopher
*Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan
*Stephen Breyer, US Supreme Court Justice
*David Cameron, British politician and leader of the Conservative Party
*Justin Cartwright, novelist
*Barbara Castle, former Labour MP and Cabinet minister
*Wesley Clark, former US Army General and Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO
*Bill Clinton, former President of the United States
*Michael Cockerell, political documentary maker
*Nick Cohen, journalist
*Yvette Cooper, British politician and Chief Secretary to the Treasury
*Michael Crick, British journalist, author and broadcaster.
*Julian Critchley, British Conservative politician
*Anthony Crosland, former Labour MP and Cabinet minister
*Edwina Currie, former Conservative MP
*Ed Davey, British Liberal Democrat MP
*Geraint Davies, British Labour MP
*Evan Davis, British economic journalist
*Ian Davis, managing director McKinsey & Co.
*Pete Dawkins, former Heisman trophy winner
*Etienne de Villiers, Chairman, BBC Worldwide
*David Dimbleby, journalist and television presenter
*Alan Duncan, British Conservative MP
*Rose Dugdale, former IRA prisoner and Sinn Fein politician
*Sir Michael Dummett, philosopher
*Angela Eagle, British Labour MP
*Maria Eagle, British Labour MP and twin sister of Angela
*Bill Emmott, journalist
*Stephanie Flanders, BBC economics editor
*Michael Foot, MP and author
*Derek Foster, former Labour MP
*Urszula Gacek, Polish MEP
*Hugh Gaitskell, British politician and former leader of the Labour Party
*Paul Gambaccini, music journalist and broadcaster
*George Gardiner, Conservative politician
*Atul Gawande, American surgeon and writer
*David Gill, Irish economist
*Maurizio Giuliano, Italian-British journalist, Guinness record-holder, and UN official
*Carrie Gracie, BBC newsreader
*Damian Green, British Conservative MP
*Susan Haack, British philosopher at the University of Miami
*William Hague, British politician and former leader of the Conservative Party
*Guto Harri, former BBC political correspondent and Communications Director for the Mayor of London
*Edward Heath, former Conservative British Prime Minister
*David Heathcoat-Amory, British Conservative MP
*Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, film director and screenwriter
*Meg Hillier, British Labour MP
*Steve Hilton, Conservative Party Spin Doctor
*John Holmes, British diplomat and UN Under-Secretary-General
*Chris Huhne, British Liberal Democrat politician
*Christopher Hitchens, British author and broadcaster
*Khairy Jamaluddin, Malaysian MP
*Baroness Jay, British Labour politician and former Leader of the House of Lords
*Peter Jay, British diplomat, economist and journalist
*Roy Jenkins, British politician
*Gerald Kaufman, former Labour MP
*Ruth Kelly, British Transport Minister
*Imran Khan, Pakistani cricketer and politician
*Susan Kramer, British Liberal Democrat MP
*John Kufuor, President of Ghana
*Nigel Lawson, former Conservative MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer
*Lord Longford, social reformer and politician
*Ken MacDonald, Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales
*Bronwen Maddox, Times journalist
*Peter Mandelson, British Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and former EU Commissioner
*Ed Miliband MP, British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
*David Miliband MP, British Foreign Secretary and older brother of Ed.
*Rhodri Morgan AM, Labour politician and First Minister for Wales
*Rupert Murdoch, Australian-American media mogul
*Anton Muttukumaru, Sri Lankan army officer and diplomat
*Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Channel 4 news reader
*Tony Pua, Malaysian blogger and opposition MP
*James Purnell MP, British politician and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
*Adebayo Ogunlesi, Nigerian businessman
*Nicky Oppenheimer, South African businessman
*Brian Paddick, former Metropolitan Police Service deputy assistant commissioner and Liberal Democrat politician
*Rebecca Pike, BBC business and economics correspondent
*Ben Pimlott, historian
*Dennis Potter, British television playwright
*Lance Price, former BBC journalist and special advisor to Tony Blair
*Hugh Quarshie, British actor
*Craig Raine, poet
*Tim Rathbone, British Conservative MP
*James Robbins, BBC diplomatic correspondent
*Nick Robinson, BBC political editor
*Barbara Roche, British Labour MP
*Joe Roff, Australian rugby player
*John Sergeant, journalist
*Mary Ann Sieghart, journalist
*Sion Simon, British Labour MP
*Jacqui Smith, British Home Secretary
*Radosław Sikorski, Polish politician and journalist
*Manisha Tank, presenter, BBC World News
*Matthew Taylor, British Liberal Democrat politician
*Marquess of Bath British peer, writer and owner of Longleat
*Stephen Twigg, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre and former Labour MP
*Kitty Ussher, British Labour MP
*Chad Varah, founder of the Samaritans
*Andreas Whittam Smith, former editor of The Independent newspaper
*Ann Widdecombe, British Conservative MP
*George Will, American political journalist and commentator
*Shirley Williams, former Labour Cabinet minister and co-founder of the Social Democratic Party
*David Willetts, British Conservative MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills
*Harold Wilson, former British Prime Minister
*Mara Yamauchi, British Olympic marathon runner
*Sir George Young, British Conservative MP
* Baroness Young, British Conservative politician and first female Leader of the House of Lords
*Toby Young, Journalist

References

See also

* Greats degree course
* Interdisciplinarity
*